Interview: Cary Elwes Talks ‘An Inconceivable Evening’ – Exclusive

We had the incredibly opportunity to speak with Cary Elwes about his best selling book “As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride”. The book features exclusive photos and a behind the scenes look at the making of this cult classic film and is a must have for any fan of ‘The Princess Bride’.

If that weren’t cool enough, Cary has embarked on a tour, “An Inconceivable Evening With Cary Elwes” where he will be meeting fans around the country for a special screening and Q&A. We’re super excited to announce that he will be making a few stops in the New York Metro area including a show on July 12th at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury in Westbury, New York. Tickets are available on both Livenation and Ticketmaster. Be sure to check them both out for his upcoming tour dates.

Read on for our exclusive interview with Cary Elwes on what fans can expect from his new book and ‘An Inconceivable Evening’.

It’s an honor to speak with you.

Oh, you’re so sweet. Thank you so much for talking with me. I appreciate it.

Can we talk a little about what inspired you to share your memories of ‘The Princess Bride’ through releasing “As You Wish (Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride)”?

Sure. It really came to me during the 25th anniversary screening that we had in 2012 at the Lincoln Center. Most of the cast and the filmmakers were there and it was the first time that Bill Goldman had seen the film since it premiered in 1987 at the foreign film festival. And I sat right next to Bill and he couldn’t believe the fact that the audience was applauding every time a new character came on the screen and reciting all the lines like it was Rocky Horror Picture Show. He couldn’t believe it. It occurred to me that this film is really, what I like to call The Gift That Keeps On Giving. It did not have a huge response when it first made it into the theaters back in ’87. But since then it’s become much bigger than any of us had ever dreamt it would be.

So, I thought none of us have told a behind the scenes story of what it was like to make the film and I thought maybe the fans would like that. I get asked all the time, “Was it as much fun making the film as it looked?” I always tell people it was more fun, which it was.

It features, like you said, both behind the scenes stories and collaborative interviews with the cast. What was that writing process like for you?

It was great. Because I got to hear stories that I didn’t know for the first time. For instance, Wally is sharing stories about thinking he was gonna be fired. I had no idea that he had had all those insecurities, you know? I had forgotten, Randy reminded me, that we had changed part of the duel right there on the day after rehearsing it for 3 or 4 weeks, longer even. And we suddenly, because of a camera angle, I think Rob gave us 10 minutes to do it and we had to improvise something new. These wonderful things that I had forgotten that brought me back to the time we were making the film.

How has it been to reconnect and share these memories with your friends and cast members after so many years?

It’s great. I think I can speak on behalf of everybody involved with the making of the film that we feel incredibly blessed that the film has become so beloved among the fans. It’s a wonderful thing.

New generations continue to discover and love The Princess Bride. How does it feel to be apart of something that resonated with so many people for decades and still continues to mean so much to them?

It’s unbelievable. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. It’s a family film but one all the adults and kids can enjoy together. I think the film doesn’t speak down to them and I think kids get that the adults can enjoy it and they can enjoy it too. It’s one of those unique films. It’s very special. Very heartwarming.

What can the fans look forward to and expect from An Inconceivable Evening With Cary Elwes, the tour that you’ve been embarking on this year?

I’ll be sharing stories from the book and my remembrances working with everybody… especially Andre, who was larger than life of course and someone I dearly miss, even to this day. It will be an evening of great fun, I can assure everybody that.

What do you enjoy most about interacting with the fans and sharing this experience on tour?

Listening to their questions. Because everyone has something that they want to know about the film. Some of them are answered in the book and some of them aren’t. So I get surprised by some of the questions that I get asked.

I’m excited to see it. I can’t wait.

Yes, great. Fantastic. We look forward to meeting you!

Full list for upcoming tour dates and ticket information for Cary Elwes and ‘An Inconceivable Evening’ are listed below: